The Amazing
Smartphone Era: 5 Unexpected Things That You Didn't Know There Was an App For
The revolution of Google's PlayStore,
Windows Phone Store and Apple's platform has transformed today's smartphones
into super gadgets wielding more power than most people can fathom. Nowadays,
finding and downloading free apps for simple day-to-day tasks such as checking
emails, chatting, taking photos, etc is nothing but a breeze.
Smartphones have been around for quite some
time now, and for this reason it's common for one to think that they've seen
and heard all there is to witness, as far as mobile apps go. Well, this might
be the case, but not until they've seen the following list of ingenious apps.
Here are top 5 things you never imagined
there was an app for.
1.)
Changing the colour of light bulbs.
Are you tired of the feeling of being stuck
with a single monochromatic hue for your living room? Yes, as weird as it may
seem, you can change the colours of your bulbs using your iPhone or iPad anytime
you please. This is of course courtesy of the work of clever software
developers behind the Phillips Hue mobile app available on Apple's iTunes
store. All you require to periodically change the colour of the glow of your
light bulbs is a relatively strong Wi-Fi connectivity and a set of 'smart'
bulbs. With the help of this app, you can also control the brightness level of
these bulbs using your phone, something that most of us never imagined could
even be remotely possible.
2.)
Using your phone as a remote control handset.
We all have experienced that frustrating
feeling one gets when you can't seem to recall where you last placed your
remote control, especially when you need to flip through channels. Have you
ever also noted that in all those times that you couldn't find your TV's
remote, you surprisingly had your phone in your pocket or next to you? Yeah, we
tend to be rather attached to our phones.
In the same light, another strange app took
advantage of this and enables you to transform that mobile handset you so
treasure into a functional remote control. It saves you the inconvenience of
ransacking your living room anytime you can't seem to keep track of your main
remote unit. ThinkFlood's Red Eye Mini continues to save the day in many homes
and is compatible with both iOS and
Android phones.
3.)
Tracking your kids.
Kids, especially teenagers, have proven to
be quite sneaky and evasive. Well, if you have a teenage daughter or son, you
no longer have to keep calling them after every ten minutes to inquire on their
whereabouts. Most of the time they won't also tell you the truth. With the GPS
tracking app - Life360, you can enjoy a
little peace of mind knowing exactly where your children are, that is if they
have their phone with them.
Additionally, when visiting a friend in another
country or new city you can make use of this app to avoid getting lost or
stranded. Using this tracking app, your host could direct you more accurately
to their place or pick you up at a particular rendezvous using your location.
On that note, when travelling abroad you
should make it a habit to install this app plus a good VPN encryption software
on your phone. The VPN will enable you an unlimited internet access regardless
of the mobile network carrier or Wi-Fi connectivity you will use while away
from home.
4.)
Catching fish.
The next time you're caught in an
unsuccessful fishing expedition, simply pull out your phone and install Deeper Fish Finder app. You will be amazed by
how accurate the app is in detecting fish that are up to 120 feet deep. The
application uses sonar pulses that could be generated by your smartphone to
image fish that are beyond your visual realm. To use the app, you have to lower
your phone near the water surface for the pulses to detect the fish more
accurately. (Take care not to drop your phone, though)
5.)
Measuring the height of buildings, towers or even mountains while up-close.
Caroline is a self confessed geek who loves writing about technology and gadgets. You can connect with her via Google+
